Young midfielder Sanches was talked about at that tournament as a possible heir to Ronaldo and subsequently earned a high-profile transfer from Benfica to Bayern Munich, where he hasn't featured regularly. Sanches was instead included in the Portugal Under-21s.

Portugal hosts Cyprus on June 3 and plays at Latvia in a World Cup qualifier on June 9. Four days later, Portugal travels to Russia where it plays its first Confederations Cup game against Mexico on June 18. The Portuguese will also meet Russia and New Zealand in the group stage.